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Mudcat
Oh no. Sorry, don't mean to be argumentative or try to pull rank but this is an area of considerable experience and expertise for me. Apart from my own shenanigans, I have spoken to and listened to literally thousands of alcoholics, and workshopped with many many many professionals who deal with alcoholics for a living over the last couple decades. That quoted passage is just chalk full of misconceptions.

Almost always vodka? What an extremely strange thing for me to read.
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Lol at almost always vodka.


Muddy, when you say 'literally thousands' do you mean figuratively almost a thousand, like several hundred; or literally over two thousand?
 
Mudcat
Oh no. Sorry, don't mean to be argumentative or try to pull rank but this is an area of considerable experience and expertise for me. Apart from my own shenanigans, I have spoken to and listened to literally thousands of alcoholics, and workshopped with many many many professionals who deal with alcoholics for a living over the last couple decades. That quoted passage is just chalk full of misconceptions.

Almost always vodka? What an extremely strange thing for me to read.
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You can pull rank if you'd like. I did say "seems to me" in there somewhere. I watch Intervention (or used to rather) and it would "routinely" be vodka and wine seemed to be a lot less popular for whatever reason. I don't claim to know anything about it apart from that. And if you'd like to actually expand on it I'd be interested to hear.
 
MonkeyF0cker
Looper - Loop this. Not the worst idea for a story. Not the best. A good deal of plot holes. Decent action for a "sci-fi" (if you want to call it that). Probably won't watch again. 5 F0cks.
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I saw this as well and thought it was entertaining. Just an average movie because of the plot holes, but the idea was creative.

Another one I recently saw was Flight which I thought was a little long, but more fun than Looper probably because I could connect more with the characters and the decisions they were making. Would see it before seeing Looper.
 
Looper I honestly found to be confusing. There were so many....missing links, it made it hard to follow in any sort of logical way. Sure it was cool to watch, but seriously lacked......hmmm....how to put it.....brains I guess. Basically, I agree with you guys.
Not something I would watch again.

A Ryan Reynolds movie that I enjoyed is "Safe House"
Good flick. Kept me entertained the whole way through, other then that, not much to say on this one. I just liked it. Though I did get to wondering is safe houses really exist.
 
camilion15728
A Ryan Reynolds movie that I enjoyed is "Safe House"
Good flick. Kept me entertained the whole way through, other then that, not much to say on this one. I just liked it. Though I did get to wondering is safe houses really exist.
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Was going to post this myself! Loved it Cami! Denzel was his usually great self, was surprised how well of a job RyanR did as an action thriller character! Want more!
 
My thoughts exactly Mr Monkey! I was really impressed with his work in this movie. I always enjoy him in the more comical movies, as that seems to be his natural fit, so I was impressed with this. Denzel is an awesome actor. Just great everytime, I honestly cannot think of a movie of his that I do not like.
 
Les Miserables (2012) - I could go on and on and on about this. Les Miz is a very significant thing in my life and this has been much anticipated. But I'll try to summarize and if anyone wants to expand on anything they can do so at their own risk.

Unfortunately I have to call this a missed opportunity. It has so much greatness and could have been the greatest thing of all time. But no, there were a few really bad, really disappointing decisions that brought it down as an overall entity.

Great moments. Ohmygod there were great moments. Moments is not even the right word - sometimes it was extended scenes. Just incredible stuff that is up there with the greatest stuff I have ever seen in the movies. Scenes of the most perfect tragic beauty. Scenes that I rate 11 out of 10. Anne Hathaway whom I feared so much - spectacularly good.

The director made a decision to make copious use of close-ups - and in fact this was the focus of some negative reviews I saw/read. But I disagree with that criticism and though it was well used. When you see a stage production and are familiar with the music, you know something extremely emotional is going on - but to see the excruciating misery acted out up close for the first time - and acted out so convincingly in many cases. It was jaw-dropping. You could see the kleenex in action all around me all through the thing.

But I want to strangle someone. i want to go back in time and grab the producers and director by the throat and convince them to rethink some decisions. Russell Crowe as Javert. So conspicuously wrong. It's not a small role you can brush aside. It's a main character with some important solos - you REALLY need someone who can sing. Likewise M. et Mme Thenardier (the Master and Mistress of the 'Ouse) played by Helena Bonham Carter and Sasha Baron Cohen. Just so bad. In their case it wasn't even so much the performances as the way they were presented. Bad direction IMO. Again, not small characters - they come up repeatedly - and it was bad in every instance.

Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean. His acting was very good but his singing was just adequate. But I'm okay with the job he did.

But Russell Crowe :facepalm:

I wish they could just use real singers when they make these musicals. They took the girl who played Eponine straight from the stage production and no one has ever heard of her and she was outstanding. But I guess they have to go with some names. :fok:


I'm not sure what reaction someone with no expectations would have. It's not like Russell Crowe was singing out of key - he just doesn't have the power I expect from that character. But to someone with no expectations he may seem okay. I don't know.



Okay, I thought I would summarize and it is pretty long. As far as a rating, it is hard. There are those 11 out of 10 moments. They outnumber the painful parts. But when I think about the whole movie and I think about watching it again in the future, it is impossible to imagine I won't be fast-forwarding through certain parts. That makes me sad and obviously has to be considered in a comprehensive rating.



7.4 out of 10.



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reno cool
excruciating misery? what's that all about? Can you give the bare essentials of the plot Muddy?
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Erm, that would not be easy. It is not a simple story. (And the emotion is not all misery either. There are moments of joy, love, anger, hope.)

But there is a fair bit of misery (thus the title) and to pick just one example: perhaps you are familiar with the song I Dreamed a Dream?

So what's happening there is this girl has been booted from her factory job ostensibly due to the scandal of her cruel co-workers discovering and reporting that she has a bastard child (but just as much because she has been resisting the wandering hands of the foreman who keeps coming on to her). So she is broke and on the dirty streets of France not knowing how she will support this child that she loves so much. She ends up on the docks with the whores and she sells her beautiful hair and some of her teeth - and prostitutes herself for the first time.

And she sings the song


I dreamed a dream in times gone by
When hope was high and life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving . . .



lying there sick and in pain and having just been screwed like a whore in what looks like a coffin - doubtful she will be able to protect her child who is in bad circumstances.



I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living . . .




So that's an example.
 
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